Checking in a bit belatedly to report on my participation in the From Scratch Budget Challenge, which I described to you (remember?) a few days back. In short, we happy few were to avoid grocery shopping for a week, and instead make do with what we had on hand (and pocket the savings). (Note: Even if you’re not participating in the challenge, you’re more than welcome to visit the group Flickr page, read, and comment. All it takes is a Flickr account – which is free! – and the address.)

My first day of the challenge was Saturday, my usual hunting-and-gathering day. Buying beverages and non-food items was still allowed; I was in and out of the foodateria in record time. Felt very odd, though, not buying pork shoulder and the like.

The highlights of the challenge will certainly fall in the ‘what’s for dinner?’ category, so I’ll focus on that here at the blog. Saturday’s meal components:

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts to be wrapped in thinly sliced prosciutto (the Volpi brand, based right here in St. Louis), accompanied by soon-to-be sauteed asparagus (seen here standing up in water, which is how you should keep asparagus in the fridge) with Parmigiano-Reggiano. The finished chicken, below:

Verdict: Ehh. The asparagus was fine as always, a standard dish at our place. I overcooked the chicken a bit, which depresses me to no end. I had some trouble with the cooking method; started out broiling the wrapped cutlets, but the pan was so close to the flame that the prosciutto cooked too quickly. I switched to baking the dish at 450° to finish it up, which is probably what I should have done from the beginning. Maybe. Down the road, I will have to try this dish again. Anyway: not bad, but it could have been better.

On to Sunday and a one pound bag of 21/30 shell-on shrimp that had been in the freezer for, like, forever. It had been properly wrapped, though (go me!) and so was in fine shape. I decided on a scampi-style sauteed shrimp and pasta dish. The pasta was whole wheat angel hair (capellini), which I cooked to al dente. Meanwhile, I sauteed six ounces of chopped brown mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter, then set them aside after three minutes. I sauteed the shrimp with eight smashed garlic cloves in the same amount of unsalted butter over medium heat, about four minutes. Added a half cup of white wine and a few grinds of black pepper, stirred for a minute. Then I removed the shrimp and garlic and cooked down the sauce to half its volume. Back into the saute pan went the shrimp and garlic, followed by the mushrooms and pasta. Toss, toss, toss. Then a cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (wonderful stuff, that, but awfully spendy). Toss, toss, toss. Then serve.

Verdict: Yum. Tasty. Would have been improved by using regular capellini, but part of the challenge is (I think) to use stuff that you don’t usually. Besides, I’m saving what non-whole-wheat angel hair we have for another meal later this week.

Now it’s Tuesday. I have no idea what we’re having for dinner. Something will come to me, I’m sure.